Hello. My name is XXXXX XXXXX I will be happy to answer your question.

I am very sorry about your difficult situation.

Unfortunately, there is not legal option for you to plead by mail or by phone and you are required to be physically present in the courtroom in order to enter a plea in any criminal case.

Unfortunately, if you do not show up for the arraignment, an arrest warrant would be issued and you would be eventually detained and extradited to face the criminal charge in this case and also if an arrest warrant is issued and you are detained and extradited, there would be a good possibility that the judge would deny any bail for you, until the case is resolved.

Yes I have a case pending. My first court date is 5/14/13 in Benton county with judge Pilley. I was released on $500 bail. I live in northern Illinois. I have applied for a public defender. I cannot afford an attorney. If I could I would hire an attorney and fight these charges. If I am denied a public defender I will have to plea guilty or know contest. Driving that far is a lot of money when you have none. I have contacted the Circuit Clerks office and they cannot tell me how to request to plea by mail. The prosecutor said it is possible to make the request but it may not be granted. What would be my punishment for a 3rd degree misdemeanor?

I don't believe it is considered a domestic case. My girlfriends son was abducted by his father. we had papers from an Illinois court demanding the child be turned over to his mother. The police refused to serve the papers after telling us they would. We went and took the child. The police said they had to charge us with something. They wanted to charge us with burglary but we didn't steal anything. They came up with assault 3rd degree but we didn't attack anyone. The women at the house claims to have been assaulted but she attacked my girlfriend while she was trying to flee with her son. My girlfriend didn't fight back, she ran away with her son who was grateful to be rescued. Upon being released we went to judge in Benton county with our papers from the Illinois court and he said the police were wrong not to serve them. Had we known what we were doing, we would have went to the Benton court to have the judge order the papers be served. The Benton county judge ordered the father to turn the child over and we took him home

Class C misdemeanor is punishable by up to 15 days in the county jail with or without a fine of up to $300.

Even though this is a lowest classification of a misdemeanor crime in Missouri, it is still important for you to attend court hearings and generally the court would require your physical appearance, unless your local attorney or public defender would be able to obtain a waiver of your appearance from the judge, prior to the court hearing and the courts would not generally accept any please send by mail in a criminal case.

I will tell you that...the things you have to go through to be an Expert are quite rigorous.

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